Get to know the Dewey Decimal Classification system

Get to know the Dewey Decimal Classification system (DDC)

Have you ever gone to the library and wondered how you’d ever find the books you want?

Did you know that our library has a great way of organising its Non- Fiction books so that you can find them easily?

It’s called the Dewey Decimal Classification system—or DDC for short. This system got its name from Melvil Dewey, the man who had this great idea for organizing library collections. He lived from 1851 to 1931 and introduced the DDC in 1876. Melvil Dewey

Mr. Dewey’s idea was so good that it has lasted for 130 years so far and it has spread to more than 200, 000 libraries in 135 countries around the world!

The DDC helps libraries arrange the items so that library users can find them. It’s a lot like a neatly organized chest of drawers that you might have in your bedroom: § Socks in the top drawer § Underwear in the second drawer § Shirts in the third drawer § Pants in the bottom drawer

You will probably notice that when you find a specific book, other books shelved around it are usually books on a similar topic. That’s how the DDC is arranged—by topic. And boy does the DDC have lots of topics! Hundreds of them! Thousands of them!

The DDC classifies books into 10 ‘general’ groups for sorting all of the subjects ‘General’ means broad, lots of subjects will fit into each group.

Here are the 10 general groups for sorting books in the Dewey Decimal System: General Works Philosophy Religion Social Studies Language Science Technology Arts and Leisure Literature History/Geography

Now let’s learn more about the numbers given to each of these groups, which become the books Non-Fiction Call Number.

The topics in the DDC are arranged into ten main groups: 000 Computer science, information & general works 100 Philosophy & psychology 200 Religion 300 Social sciences 400 Language 500 Science 600 Technology 700 Arts & recreation 800 Literature 900 History & geography

This seems like a lot to remember, but don’t worry you’ll learn it all quickly. So let’s get going !!!!

000 s-General Works Books that fit in this group have many different subjects in them. Like: Encyclopedias or The Guinness Book of Records This is also where books on unexplained subjects would be found- like UFOs or the Loch-Ness Monster!

100 s-Philosophy Books that fit in this group tell about how we think and feel.

200 s-Religion Books in this group tell about different religions or stories from the bible.

300 s-Social Studies Books in this group tell about how people live together. holidays and customs government, military

Fairy tales and folk tales are also placed in the 300 s. Many were written to teach a lesson about behavior and. . That’s social studies.

400 s-Language Books in this group are about different languages or grammar. noun verb adjective

500 s-Science Books in this group are about things from nature.

600 s-Technology This group has books that are about man-made things.

700 s-Arts and Leisure Books in this group are about things we do for fun.

800 s-Literature Books in this group are stories, plays, or poetry. This was originally the ‘fiction’ group when the DDC was first invented long ago. Today we have too many fiction books in our libraries to organize them in this way, so fiction books have their own way of being organized. You know, in ABC order, by author !

900 s-History/Geography Books in this group tell about events of the past and countries of the world.

These ten main groups are each divided into ten divisions, like this: 700 s-Arts and Leisure 700 Arts 750 Painting 710 Landscaping & area planning 760 Graphic arts 720 Architecture 730 Sculpture, ceramics & metalwork 740 Drawing & decorative arts 770 Photography & computer art 780 Music 790 Sports, games & entertainment

900 s-History/Geography Biography- 92 Don’t forget this group. It contains books about famous people’s lives.

Each division is then divided into ten sections, like this: 790 Recreational & performing arts 795 Games of chance 791 Public performances 796 Athletic & outdoor sports & games 792 Stage presentations 797 Aquatic & air sports 793 Indoor games & amusements 798 Equestrian sports & animal racing 794 Indoor games of skill 799 Fishing, hunting & shooting

Once you have the number for the book you need, you can go find the row of books where the book you want should be. The books on each shelf are arranged in number order, but if you need help, a parent or someone who works at the library can help you.

Non-fiction call numbers Numbers (for the subject) First three letters of the author’s last name

So how do you know what numbers to look for in the first place? Here a few suggestions: § You can look up your topic on a Online library catologue. § You can browse the shelves, using the DDC numbers on the ends of shelves as your guide. § You can ask someone who works at the library to help.

Let’s say you’re interested in bicycles. What you want to know about them will decide what DDC numbers you’ll need to find: – The history of bicycles – Taking care of your bicycle – Bicycle safety – Bicycle racing Get to know the DDC

Each of these topics is about bicycles, but a book about each of these topics will have its very own DDC number. § The history of bicycles (796. 6) § Taking care of your bicycle (629. 27) § Bicycle safety (388. 12) § Bicycle racing (796. 62)

Knowing these big groups will help make it easier to find the books you want in the nonfiction section.

Once you get to know the DDC, you’ll have a much better idea about where you’ll find the books and other items you need in your library—and in other libraries that use the DDC.